New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-19
LITERARY NOTES.

fine tall copy Of the first folio OF Shakespeare is
offered for sale England 1t has the Droeshout portrait
u bound by Bedford. and is held at $l,s7o.
A collection OF essays IN two volumes book OF poems
untitled "Underwoods. and volume OF short stories
called 1.-The Merry Men," Mr. Robert Louis steven
sous contributions the literature OF the season. The
ecribners publish their edition Of "The Merry Men I"
today.
Mr. stevensons elf. for telling stories Is notable one
come OF his essays clever and his travels are always
amusing But why doesn't this usually iudicous Scotch
nuan realize that he can't write poetryi
De Iaveleyes Balkan Peninsula" and the Duke Of Ar
gye's Scotland as 1t Was and it Is" announced
by the Putnans
Alexander Dumas has always admired Beranger ana
allowed that he did 1852 when after the coup e
ha no. asked Tn compose cantata honor OF the en-
pire He was given TO understand that he woud
By way OF reward besides his prohts as an a"'noi
cross of Chevaer of the Legion OF Honor ouina' 20!
refused "If you want lyric" said he aoou' 'ne Gun
mira there Beranger" "But Beranger has gwen up
wr,tino and. besides, he would not consent" "Ihen
thore,s Victor Hugo" "He's In exile. you know" WELL
ranled Dumas speaking to N. Fould. "n an empire
.nts TO be exoed by poet and cannot get ts praises
nv the greatest simple thing for 1t to do 10
IN give I'D cantaas In country where there Is Hugo
Lamartinc Beranger and Mussef so much the worse
for n government which count among its admirers
And he did not write the cantata-
new annotated translation Of the " Heptameron :"
has peen undertaken by Miss A. Mary r. Robinson Mr..
John Payne intended do this work. but 1t on
the plea Of Ill health
w. NJ Rosset in his preface to the new edition OF his
brothers poems says Of the poet that he was always
and essentially Of a dominant turn
He was impetuous and vehement and necessarily
therefore, Impatient easily angered, easily appeased
tbee fnl feelings
secured this amiabe quality 10 some extent constant ana
recinrocated reehanded and needless OF expenditure.
Whet her himself for others; III family anecuon
mciher. for whom he had fondng love- not demon:
strative stills in matters OF tne lhteuect OF Vi
nr II NOT always practising the good keenly alive also
Though some people seem 10 dscreut this now ~ tne
I'm grain and anti scientific to the marrow
throughout his youth and early MANHOOD consluereo
him 10 be markedly free from vanity thoueh certainly
we'll equipped I'm pride the distinction between these Two
fendencies WAS less definite in his closing years Ex
tremcly natural and therefore totally unaffected in tone
and manner with the naturaism characteristic or Italian
blood good natured and hearty without being conpas
ant or accommodating; reserved at times yet not
naughty: desnltory enough in YOUTH disent and per-
sstent in maturity selfcentred always and brushing
aside whatever traversed his purpose or his bent
Miss Woolsey-otherwise Susan Coolidge has writ
ten "a Short History OF Philadelphia" which Roberts
Brothers will publish.
The index to Ruskns Clavigera has just been
brought out In England Some idea Of the quantity of
work involved in compiling it may be obtained from
noting that it runs pages that each page contains
at least fifty references and that thus $4,000 en-
tries In all had to be made Such work can only have
been labor OF love- and though the editor conceals his
name it is that he is Canon Faunthorpe de-
wont disciple of the Master" and principal OF White
lands Training College,